COUNTY REVIEWS CONTRACT AFTER SSM ENDS GENDER TREATMENTS HEALTH

Dane County is reviewing its employee health insurance contract with a subsidiary of SSM Health after the health system announced it would stop providing gender-affirming surgeries.

The county is in the fourth year of a five-year contract with the SSM affiliate and is scheduled to seek bids again in April to insure thousands of county employees and their family members. When County Executive Joe Parisi and his staff put together the request for proposals for health insurance in 2018, gender-affirming surgery was a requirement of any proposal, Parisi told the Cap Times.

"It's been kind of the law of the land in Dane County since I directed staff to put that in there five years ago. Up to this point, everything's been going fine," Parisi said.

However, SSM Health - a Catholic, not-for-profit health system - stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries at its Aesthetic Center in Middleton, a patient and multiple employees told Channel 3000 in July. The move came after ramped-up pressure this year from the Catholic Church to stop Catholic health care organizations from providing some types of gender-affirming care to transgender people.

Gender-affirming care includes treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones or surgery.

SSM has not responded to multiple requests from the Cap Times for more information. Parisi said he heard the news secondhand.

"I was definitely surprised and disappointed when I read about the news. I received no heads up from SSM," the county executive said. "I've asked corporation counsel (the county's attorney) to review the (health insurance) contract, just to make sure what they're doing is consistent with the terms."

The county's insurance contract is with Dean Health Plan by Medica, the insurance services subsidiary of Dean Health System and SSM Health Care. Dane County has about 3,000 employees.

While the health insurance contract is under review by county lawyer Carlos Pabellon, who said he could not provide any updates to the Cap Times, Parisi said the inclusion of gender inclusive procedures will "certainly remain part of the contract."

Dean Health says it will continue coverage

Representatives from Dean Health Plan by Medica issued a statement that said the insurer will continue to provide coverage for gender-affirming care.

"We want to assure Dane County employees and families that Dean Health Plan by Medica's contracted policies and coverage related to gender affirming care have not changed. As a plan member, you continue to have covered access to gender affirming surgeries and care through our contracted providers, hospitals and health systems," the statement said.

When a network physician needs to refer a member for any covered services - including gender-affirming surgeries - Dean Health Plan will work with the referring doctor to authorize those services with contracted providers in that specialty, the statement said.

County Board chair Patrick Miles and 22 of the county's 37 supervisors signed a statement calling SSM's decision to end the treatments "dangerous to members of the community who continue to face threats and intimidation."

"SSM Health's ill-conceived policymaking limiting the holistic approach of gender-affirming care will contribute to further discrimination of transgender and nonbinary people as well as threaten their health and well-being," the statement reads. "Access to health care is a fundamental right, and health care includes gender-affirming care. The decision by SSM Health to eliminate needed care is antithetical to Dane County's values."

The statement concludes the county will continue to work with vendors and partners that support its values.

UnityPoint Health, one of three major medical providers in the Madison area, plans to maintain its gender-affirming care services, spokesperson Nicole Aimone said in an email to the Cap Times.

"UnityPoint Health-Meriter provides gender affirming care that is within the scope and licensure of our physicians and providers and follows the laws and regulations that govern our community," Aimone said. "We remain committed to providing compassionate care in a comfortable and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ individuals."

A spokesperson for UW Health, another major provider for Madison-area residents, also confirmed with the Cap Times that it will "continue to serve (its) transgender, gender expansive and nonbinary patient communities."